Paying no heed to Ji Chenkong's shock, Li Changsheng rubbed his hands on the raised platform, his face wreathed in smiles.
"My young friend, I'll deal with this unreliable Holy Lord later. For now, let's get down to business!"
Hua Qianyan's expression turned serious at those words, and he went to stand behind Li Changsheng without a word.
Now he had no objections whatsoever to the ancestor's decision!
If they failed to keep such a monstrous prodigy and another faction snatched her away, they would be sinners of the Ziwei Holy Land!
Li Changlong and the other testing elders came to their senses, looking somewhat puzzled.
What business?
What could make both the ancestor and the Holy Lord treat it so seriously?
Ji Zining raised an eyebrow.
Business?
Was it the surprise he had mentioned earlier?
Li Changsheng swept his gaze over the crowd. No one dared meet his eyes, and his majestic voice rang out.
"Today, a heaven-defying prodigy has emerged in the Ziwei Holy Land. I have decided to appoint the prodigy Ji Zining as the Divine Son of the Ziwei Holy Land!"
"From this day forth, Ji Zining represents the Ziwei Holy Land. To insult Ji Zining is to insult the Ziwei Holy Land. No matter how far away the offender may be, they shall be slain!"
"I call upon the Great Emperor ancestor's edict to seize the heavens' fortune and bestow its blessing upon the Divine Son!"
Before his words had faded, Li Changsheng swept his sleeve, and a golden edict radiating a terrifying presence appeared in the sky.
As soon as the edict appeared, winds and clouds surged across the sky above the Ziwei Holy Land, and a massive golden vortex formed.
Waves of golden light also poured from the golden edict, enveloping Ji Zining.
Within the golden light, Ji Zining was somewhat bewildered.
What was this?
Divine Son?
She had become the Divine Son of the Ziwei Holy Land?
But that wasn't right! She was a woman. Shouldn't a woman be called a Divine Daughter?
What the hell was a Divine Son?
But the energy in this golden light was so dense, and it was even raising her cultivation!
Not only that, but her already incomparably solid foundation was being reinforced once more, growing ever deeper and more substantial.
Ji Zining had no time to think further. She immediately sat down cross-legged and began actively raising her cultivation.
Hearing Li Changsheng's words and seeing the golden vortex appear in the sky, all the living beings around them froze.
Divine Son!
The Ziwei Holy Land had actually brought out the edict left by its founding ancestor to appoint a Divine Son!
The Great Emperor's edict could unleash the might of a Great Emperor. It was a means of saving lives in times of crisis, yet the Ziwei Holy Land had been so generous this time,
not only appointing a Divine Son but even bringing out the Great Emperor's edict!
Just how highly did they regard Ji Zining to appoint her Divine Son on such a scale?!
The Divine Son's status was equal to the Holy Lord's, but her actual authority surpassed the Holy Lord's!
They knew why the title was Divine Son rather than Divine Daughter.
It was because "son" did not distinguish between men and women, just as "martial uncle" did not distinguish between men and women.
Divine Son carried more authority than Divine Daughter!
Looking at the golden vortex overhead, the experts who had brought their own prodigies to take the test couldn't help drawing deep breaths.
They knew that after today, a major upheaval might occur in the True Martial Dao Domain!
Once the experts recovered from their shock, they took out their communication tokens and informed their acquaintances of the situation.
As the news spread, it surely wouldn't be long before the entire True Martial Dao Domain heard of it!
Atop Xiao Jiu, Ji Chenkong was at a loss.
What had happened?
Divine Son?
His Ning'er had become the Divine Son of the Ziwei Holy Land?
At that moment, Ji Chenkong no longer knew what words could describe how he felt.
The closest he could come was complicated, incomparably complicated.
They had come to the Ziwei Holy Land only to fulfill Ji Zining's wish to cultivate. He had never expected her to become the Divine Son just like that!
Rumble!
The golden vortex churned, and a terrifying rumble rang out. As it sounded,
a golden vertical pupil appeared within the vortex, brimming with supreme majesty.
As soon as the golden vertical pupil appeared, it turned its gaze toward Ji Zining, who was enveloped in the golden light radiating from the edict.
Although Ji Zining was cultivating to raise her cultivation, her heart still tightened beneath the golden vertical pupil's gaze.
What a terrifying gaze!
What reassured Ji Zining was that the gaze held no ill intent toward her.
On the plaza, in the sky, and throughout the Ziwei Holy Land,
every cultivator who saw the golden vertical pupil in the sky changed expression. Not daring to look at it, they hurriedly lowered their heads and stared at the ground.
The Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil!
The Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil had actually appeared!
It represented the will of the Heavenly Dao of the True Martial Dao Domain!
Had the Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil appeared because of the Great Emperor's edict, or had the Heavenly Dao appeared of its own accord?
Li Changsheng was also somewhat shocked to see the golden vertical pupil.
Using a Great Emperor's edict to seize the heavens' fortune had happened before in the history of the True Martial Dao Domain,
but never once had the Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil appeared!
The Heavenly Dao simply didn't care about the power of fortune they seized.
So why had the Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil appeared this time?
Li Changsheng felt that things had gone somewhat beyond his expectations.
Could it be because of the Exquisite Immortal Physique?
After all, it was a physique that had never appeared in the True Martial Dao Domain, but was recorded in an ancient book passed down from long ago.
Beside him, Hua Qianyan couldn't help patting his own cheek. When he felt the pain, he was even more stunned.
This was actually real?!
The Heavenly Dao Golden Pupil had appeared because the Ziwei Holy Land had appointed a Divine Son!
Just as all the cultivators waited with bated breath, an ethereal, majestic voice of heaven descended from the sky.
"Talent that astounds the world. You may receive half the power of my fortune, half the fortune of the True Martial Dao Domain. I hope you will cultivate diligently!"
Before the voice had faded, wave after wave of incomparably profound golden clouds burst from the golden vertical pupil.
Drawn by some force, the clouds descended toward Ji Zining below.
As the golden clouds continued to pour forth, the light of the golden vertical pupil began to dim,
but even so, the golden vertical pupil did not stop releasing them.
The golden clouds descended upon the raised platform, and everyone there, including Li Changsheng, was moved off it by an indescribable force.
Only Ji Zining remained on the platform, sitting cross-legged.
At last, the golden clouds reached Ji Zining and enveloped her.
As more and more golden clouds descended, Ji Zining's presence grew increasingly profound.
At that moment, the presence of Ji Zining's cultivation also surged.
Breakthrough, Golden Core Realm Seventh Stage!
Breakthrough, Golden Core Realm Eighth Stage!
Breakthrough, Golden Core Realm Ninth Stage!
Her presence continued to soar, soon reaching the Golden Core Realm Peak.
But even after reaching the Golden Core Realm Peak, Ji Zining's presence continued to grow.
In the space of a single breath, Ji Zining's cultivation broke through the major realm bottleneck and reached the Nascent Soul Realm!
Breakthrough, Nascent Soul Realm First Stage!
Even then, her cultivation continued to rise!
Nascent Soul Realm Second Stage... Nascent Soul Realm Third Stage...
At that moment, Ji Zining seemed to become the most dazzling existence in the world, and every cultivator's gaze was fixed on her.
She had received the blessing of half the power of the True Martial Dao Domain's fortune!
Such a thing had never been heard of or seen before!
They all knew that this previously unknown girl was about to soar into the heavens!
Below the platform, Li Changsheng drew deep breath after deep breath, but he still could not suppress the joy in his heart.
"Blessed with half the power of the True Martial Dao Domain's fortune! This girl might be able to break the shackles of the True Martial Dao Domain and ascend to become a Great Emperor, a powerhouse not seen since ancient times!"
"And the Ziwei Holy Land can return to the glory of its peak, its might suppressing the True Martial Dao Domain!"
An unknown length of time passed before the golden vertical pupil stopped releasing the golden clouds of fortune and vanished from the sky.
Then the golden vortex vanished as well, and tranquility returned to the sky.
Only Ji Zining remained seated on the raised platform, enveloped by endless golden clouds of fortune.
At a certain moment, all the golden clouds of fortune entered Ji Zining's body, and her eyes opened.
Nascent Soul Realm Seventh Stage!
She had actually risen straight from the Golden Core Realm Sixth Stage to the Nascent Soul Realm Seventh Stage!
Unbelievable!
The white-haired youth's surprise truly had been a surprise.
A heaven-shaking surprise!